Water vessel with an integrated storage compartment

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a water vessel comprising a shell; a closable storage compartment integrated to the shell; and a closure member displaceable between an open position to provide access to the storage compartment and a closed position to substantially prevent liquid contained in the shell to leak into the storage compartment. It also relates to a closable storage compartment in combination with a water vessel and a method for integrating storage space to a water vessel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority of US provisional patent application60/536,739, the specification of which is hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1) Field of the Invention

The invention relates to improvements for water vessels such as sinks,showers, bathtubs, tub showers, and spas, etc. More specifically, itrelates to a water vessel including at least one storage compartmenttherein to store various items, such as kitchen brushes, rubber gloves,soaps, nail cutters, razors, scourers, sponges, scrub brushes, and thelike.

2) Description of the Prior Art

Water vessels, such as sinks, showers, bathtubs, tub showers, and spas,are usually devoid of storage space which could be useful for storingsmall and medium-size items.

For example, kitchen sinks provided with one or more storage spaceswould be of interest, especially for storing kitchen and scrubbing toolsthat are still humid after use. These tools are usually stored in aplastic or a wood container on a shelf close to the sink where watercontained in the tool slowly evaporates. If the container is located ina closed space such as a drawer or a cabinet, undesirable odors can begenerated due to bacterial formation or merely evaporation. Sponges,scrubbers, and other moist cleaning items harbor bacteria and promotebacterial growth since they provide warm, moist breeding ground forbacteria.

Similarly, storage space is desirable in showers, bathtubs and tubshowers to store various items such as sponges, shampoo, nail cutters,razors, soaps, etc.

Moreover, when stored in a drawer in a nearby cabinet, these tools arenot easily accessible during daily tasks. Leaving them on the bottomsurface of either the sink basin, the shower, the bathtub or the tubshower is not desirable since it provides the warm, humid, moistconditions on which germs thrive. Leaving them on the counter top isneither desirable for most people for appearance reasons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage space forwater vessels that allows an easy access to the items usually usedtherewith.

One aspect of the invention provides a water vessel comprising: a shell;a closable storage compartment integrated to the shell; and a closuremember displaceable between an open position to provide access to thestorage compartment and a closed position to substantially preventliquid contained in the shell to leak into the storage compartment.

A second aspect of the invention provides a closable storage compartmentin combination with a water vessel having a shell, the storagecompartment being integrated to the shell and having an openingaccessible from within the shell, and a closure member for selectivelyclosing the opening.

Another aspect of the invention provides a method of integrating storagespace to a water vessel. The method comprises: providing a water vesselhaving a shell; providing a storage compartment in an inner surface ofthe shell; and providing a closure member for selectively closing thestorage compartment.

In this specification, the term water vessel is intended to mean anycontainer that can contain water for domestic uses such as a sink, ashower, a bathtub, a tub shower, and a spa.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description, taken in combinationwith the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1. is a perspective view of a sink including two tilt-out drawersaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sink block having a sink basinincluding two cells according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of an hinge assembly for the tilt-out draweraccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sink including a closable storagecontainer according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a bathtub including a sliding drawershown in an open position according to an embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a shower including a sliding drawershown in a closed position according to another embodiment of thepresent invention.

It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like featuresare identified by like reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an embodiment of a water vessel withan integrated closable storage compartment or hideaway receptacle orcontainer. More specifically, the water vessel shown in FIG. I is astandard sink basin 10 having a shell 12 with four side walls 14extending upwardly from the perimeter of a bottom surface 16 in which adrain 18 is provided. The sink basin 10 can include a top flange 20 and,possibly, a front facade and a backsplash member (not shown). The sinkbasin 10 can be mounted to a kitchen island (not shown), a cabinet (notshown), a counter top, on a wall, or the like. The sink basin 10 can beany shape such as circular or oval.

Still referring to FIG. 1, it is seen that two accessory storagecontainers 24 are mounted in two openings 26 formed in the side walls 14of the sink basin 10. The accessory containers 24 can be mounted to anyside walls 14 of the sink basin 10 as shown or, alternatively, it can beincorporated in the bottom surface 16 (FIG. 4). As it will be explainedin more details hereinafter, the accessory containers 24 can be providedin the form of a tilt-out drawer or a sliding drawer, or the like.

Referring to FIG. 2, it will be seen that each container 24 includes acell 30 and a receptacle 32 that will be described more in detail later.The cell 30 has a bottom wall 36, two lateral side walls 38, a back wall40, and an upper wall 42. Preferably, the bottom wall 36 is slightlyinclined towards the sink basin 10 to allow residual water to flow intothe sink basin 10 and, eventually, to escape through the drain 18. Thecell 30 can also be directly connected (not shown) to the drain 18 as itwill readily be understood by one skilled in the art.

Referring back to FIG. 1, it is seen that a receptacle 32 is pivotallymounted in each cell 30 by means of hinges 46 (FIG. 3). One skilled inthe art will appreciate that more than one receptacle 32 can be mountedin a cell 30. The receptacle 32 has a front wall 50, and a back wall 52,two lateral side walls 54, and a bottom wall 56. The bottom wall 56, asillustrated, is in the form of a screen and it is designed to allowresidual water to flow outside the receptacle 32 and aerate the latterto reduce bacterial growth. The receptacle 32 pivots between an openposition and a closed position inside the cell 30. In the closedposition, the front wall 50 is designed to cover the opening 26, injuxtaposed position with respect to the side wall 14 of the sink basin10, and prevents water infiltration inside the cell 30 and thereceptacle 32. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown that the front wall50 also acts as a closure member 60. Referring now to FIG. 3, it will beseen that a closure member 60 can be mounted to the front wall 50 of thereceptacle 32 by any technique known to one skilled in the art. Oneskilled in the art will also appreciate that the front wall 50 and theclosure member 60 can be the same member.

Still referring to FIG. 3, it will be seen that the hinge 46 includes apin 62 having a first portion 64 and a second portion 66. The firstportion 64 has a larger diameter than the second portion 66 and includesan aperture 68 therein. The pin 62 is inserted into an opening 70 in thelateral side wall 38 of the cell 30. The diameter of the opening 70 islarger than the diameter of the second portion 66 but smaller than thediameter of the first portion 64. Therefore, the first portion 64 abutsthe lateral side wall 38. The pin 62 is fastened to the cell 30 by meansof fasteners 72 such as screws, bolts, and any other fastening meansknown to one skilled in the art. The second portion 66 of the pin 62 isinserted into a groove 74 defined in the lateral side walls 54 of thereceptacle 32 and pivots therein. For a higher safety and a smootherpivoting mechanism, the second portion 66 of the pin 62 can be coveredwith a cap 76 made of a rubber material that is slightly compressed whenthe second portion 66 is inserted into the groove 74.

The hinge 46 is not restricted to the construction illustrated in FIG. 3and may include any pivoting means known to one skilled in the art fortilt-out drawers. For example, it can be pins (not shown) mounted in thelateral side walls 54 of the receptacle 32, or alternately in thelateral side walls 38 of the cell 30, so as to allow the rotation of thereceptacle 32 therearound. To facilitate the insertion of the receptacle32 in the cell 30, spring loaded pins can be used.

The container 24 also includes an abutment member to smooth and stop theclosing operation. Referring to FIG. 3, it will be seen that threeabutment members 78, 80 are mounted to the cell 30. The first twoabutment members 78 are mounted to the lateral side walls 38 of the cell30 (only one is shown). The abutment members 78 is preferably made of arubber material and inserted in an opening 84 in the lateral side walls38 and fastened to the cell 30 by means of fasteners 72 such as screws,bolts, and any other fastening means known to one skilled in the art.When the receptacle 32 reaches its closed position, the closure member60 abuts the abutment member 78 and stops smoothly the pivoting movementof the receptacle 32. A second abutment member 80, preferably made of arubber material, is mounted into a hole 86 located in the back wall 40of the cell 30. Again upon reaching its closed position, the receptacleback wall 52 abuts the abutment member 80 and stops smoothly thepivoting movement of the receptacle 32. The abutment member 80 can bemounted to any part of the receptacle 32 that abuts another part of thecell 30 or the shell 12 of the sink basin 10 while pivoting thereceptacle 32. Of course, the abutment member 80 can be disposedanywhere provided the pivoting movement is stopped and smoothness isachieved when closing the receptacle 32 inside the cell 30. It can bedisposed either on the cell 30, on the back wall 52 of the receptacle 32or on the front wall 50 of the receptacle 32, and the like. The abutmentmember 80 is preferably shock absorbent, for example it can be made of arubber material.

In a closed position of the receptacle 32, the interior of the container24 should normally be sealed from the sink basin 10. To achieve this, aseal (not shown) can be disposed on the side wall 14, along theperimeter of the opening 26, in a manner such that the front wall 50 ofthe receptacle 32 abuts the seal in the closed position of thereceptacle 32. The seal should prevent water infiltration inside thecell 30 and/or the receptacle 32. The seal can also be disposed alongthe periphery of the inner surface 88 of the front wall 50 in a mannersuch that the seal abuts the inner face of the sink basin 10 in theclosed position of the receptacle 32.

As mentioned earlier, the container 24 can include a sliding drawer (notshown) instead of a tilt-out drawer as shown in the above-mentionedfigures. In that case, instead of a hinge or a pin, the container 24includes a rail (not shown). In both cases, the pin, the hinge, and therail act as guides for the movement of the receptacle 32 between an openand a closed positions.

It is not necessary that the container 24 includes a cell 30. Thecontainer 24 can only include a receptacle 32 that communicates with thedrain 18 to eliminate residual water therefrom. This is a modificationthat is obvious to one skilled in the art. In that case, the lateralvertical side walls can extend outwardly from the opening 26 and thehinge(s) for a tilt-out drawer or the rail(s) for a sliding drawer aremounted thereon. Another possibility is that the container 24 includes alower surface that extends outwardly from the opening 26 and thehinge(s) for the tilt-out drawer or the rail(s) for sliding drawers aremounted thereon.

Furthermore, the container 24 can include only a cell 30 and a closuremember 60, such as closure plate or a front wall, that pivots or slidesbetween an open and a closed positions. In that case, the cell 30 itselfconstitutes the receptacle 32.

Now referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a sink basin 10 similar to theone of FIGS. 1-3 wherein the container 124 is positioned on bottomsurface 16 of sink basin 10. The container 124 includes a receptacle132, which has four lateral side walls 154 and a bottom surface 156, anda closure member 160. The bottom surface 156 communicates directly orindirectly with the drain 18 to eliminate the residual water therein.The closure member 160 is removably disposed over the receptacle 132 tocover the opening 126 formed in sink basin 10. The closure member 160can pivot or slide between an open and a closed positions of thereceptacle 132. It can also simply be removed from the receptacle 132when the user wants to have an access thereto. The container 124 alsoincludes a seal (not shown) between the closure member 160 and the sinkbasin 10 to prevent water infiltration in the receptacle 132. A similarcontainer 124 including only a fixed receptacle 132 and a closure member160 can also be mounted to the side walls 14 of sink basin 10.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a standard bathtub 210 having ashell 212 with four side walls 214, a bottom surface 216, and a drain(not shown). One skilled in the art will appreciate that the bathtub 210can have any shape. An accessory container 224 is mounted in an opening226 formed in a side wall 214 of the shell 212. The accessory container224 can be mounted in any side walls 214 of the bathtub 210 as shown orin the bottom surface 216 (not shown). As it will be explained more indetails later, the accessory container 224 can include either a tilt-outdrawer or a sliding drawer, or the like.

The container 224 has a cell (not shown) similar to the one describedabove for the sink basin. The cell includes a receptacle 232 with afront wall 258, a back wall (not shown), four lateral side walls 254,and a bottom wall 256. The receptacle 232 is slidingly mounted in thecell by means of rails 258. The receptacle 232 is similar to the onedescribe hereinabove. One skilled in the art will appreciate that morethan one receptacle 232 can be mounted in each cell.

The receptacle 232 slides between an open and a closed position insidethe cell. In the closed position, the front wall 250 is designed tocover the opening 226, in juxtaposed position with respect to the sidewall 214 of the bathtub 210, and should also prevent water infiltrationinside the cell and the receptacle 232.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown a standard shower 310 having ashell 312 with side walls 314, a bottom surface 316, and a drain 318.One skilled in the art will appreciate that the shower 310 can have anyshape or can be made of any material. An accessory container 324 ismounted to the side walls 314 of the shower 310. The accessory container324 can be mounted to or in any side walls 314 of the shower 310 asshown or in the bottom surface 316 (not shown).

The container 324 has a cell 330 similar to the one described above forthe sink basin 10 and the bathtub 210. The cell 330 includes areceptacle 332 with a front wall 358 that is slidingly mounted in thecell 330 by means of rails (not shown). The receptacle 332 is similar tothe one described hereinabove. One skilled in the art will appreciatethat more than one receptacle 332 can be mounted in each cell 330 andthat the receptacle 332 can be pivotally mounted therein by any meansknown in the art.

The receptacle 332 slides between an open and a closed positions insidethe cell 330. In the closed position, the front wall 358 is designed toprevent water infiltration inside the cell 330 and the receptacle 332.

Preferably, in all cases, the closure member replicates the shape of thewater vessel portion where it is mounted. The bottom surface of thecontainer preferably communicates directly or indirectly with drain toeliminate residual water therein.

The container of the present invention can have various shapes as willbe understood by one skilled in the art. The closure member can includea handle to facilitate the opening and the closing. To facilitate theopening of the container when it is in the shape of a tilt-out drawer,the hinge can be located in the middle portion of the receptacle. Thetilt-out drawer can pivot when a slight pressure is applied on the lowerportion of the closure member.

Preferably, the closure member such as front wall is made of the samematerial as water vessel. The container is preferably made of anantirust material. The water vessel is preferably Pointless, unitary toinhibit bacterial growth and to promote better hygiene and is made ofstainless steel. The sink is not limited to a kitchen sink but can beapplied to any type of sinks. One skilled in the art will appreciatethat all the features described for a sink having a container thereincan be applied to a shower, a bathtub and the like.

The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to beexemplary only. One skilled in the art will appreciate that more thanone container can be mounted to a water vessel and that the shell of awater vessel can include more than one opening. The scope of theinvention is therefore intended to be limited solely by the scope of theappended claims.

1. A water vessel comprising: a shell; a closable storage compartmentintegrated to said shell; and a closure member displaceable between anopen position to provide access to said storage compartment and a closedposition to substantially prevent liquid contained in said shell to leakinto said storage compartment.
 2. A water vessel as claimed in claim 1,wherein said storage compartment is recessed in an inner surface of saidshell.
 3. A water vessel as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least oneguide for guiding movement of said closure member between said open andclosed positions.
 4. A water vessel as claimed in claim 3, wherein saidat least one guide is selected from the group consisting of a hinge, apivot, and a rail.
 5. A water vessel as claimed in claim 3, whichcomprises at least one abutment member adapted to restrict the movementof said closure member between said open and closed positions.
 6. Awater vessel as claimed in claim 3, wherein said compartment is atilt-out drawer and said closure member is mounted to said tilt-outdrawer.
 7. A water vessel as claimed in claim 3 wherein said compartmentis a sliding drawer and said closure member is mounted to said slidingdrawer.
 8. A water vessel as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least oneseal provided between said closure member and said water vessel shellwhen said closure member is closed against an inner face of said watervessel shell.
 9. A water vessel as claimed in claim 1, wherein saidcompartment is mounted to a side wall of said shell.
 10. A water vesselas claimed in claim 1, wherein said compartment comprises a cell memberand a receptacle operably disposed in said cell member.
 11. A watervessel as claimed in claim 10, comprising an opening in said shell, saidcell member being adapted to be mounted in said opening to projectoutside said water vessel.
 12. A water vessel as claimed in claim 10,which comprises at least one guide associated with said cell member andsaid receptacle to guide the movement of said receptacle within saidcell member. 13 A water vessel as claimed in claim 1, comprising a drainand wherein said compartment is adapted to evacuate residual watercontained therein in said drain.
 14. A water vessel as claimed in claim1, wherein said water vessel is selected from the group consisting of: asink basin, a shower, a spa, a bathtub, and a tub shower.
 15. A closablestorage compartment in combination with a water vessel having a shell,said storage compartment being integrated to said shell and having anopening accessible from within said shell, and a closure member forselectively closing said opening.
 16. A combination as claimed in claim15, wherein said storage compartment is recessed in an inner surface ofsaid shell.
 17. A combination as claimed in claim 15, comprising atleast one guide for guiding movement of said closure member between saidopen and closed positions.
 18. A combination as claimed in claim 15,wherein said storage compartment comprises a cell member and areceptacle operably disposed in said cell member.
 19. A combination asclaimed in claim 18, comprising an opening in said shell, said cellmember being adapted to be mounted in said opening to project outsidesaid water vessel.
 20. A combination as claimed in claim 18, whichcomprises at least one guide associated with said cell member and saidreceptacle to guide the movement of said receptacle within said cellmember.
 21. A combination as claimed in claim 15, comprising a drain andwherein said compartment is adapted to evacuate residual water containedtherein in said drain.
 22. A combination as claimed in claim 15, whereinsaid water vessel is selected from the group consisting of: a sinkbasin, a shower, a spa, a bathtub, and a tub shower.
 23. A method ofintegrating storage space to a water vessel, comprising: providing awater vessel having a shell; providing a storage compartment in an innersurface of said shell; and providing a closure member for selectivelyclosing said storage compartment.
 24. A method as claimed in claim 23,further comprising providing at least one guide for said closure memberfor guiding movement of said closure member between an open position anda closed position.
 25. A method as claimed in claim 23, furthercomprising providing a seal for preventing liquid contained in saidshell to leak into said storage compartment.
 26. A method as claimed inclaim 23, further comprising adapting said compartment to evacuateresidual water contained therein.
 27. A method as claimed in claim 23,wherein said water vessel is selected from the group consisting of: asink basin, a shower, a spa, a bathtub, and a tub shower.